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Jhanue
2017-05-08, 06:29 PM
Hey guys, I know there are a few hundred creative minds here, and I need some help.
A friend of mine wants to play in a one-shot birthday themed pathfinder game for her birthday. Here's the story I've come up with (Doesn't need to be fully fleshed...its a one shot for fun)

Children have been kidnapped from several surrounding towns and the townsfolk have come to ask you to find them. They are certain that the Cyclops that lives in the Spider Caves nearby has taken the children, but noone knows why. Both the monster and the people have always had 'no bother' unspoken rule. The hunters stay away from her territory, adventurers leave her be, and she doesn't bother the townsfolk. Now something has changed, and the townsfolk are afraid for their kids.

The Cyclops has taken the children because her son wants to have a birthday party like the humans do, but he doesn't have any friends. So his mom stole him some. The problem is, they are too scared to play the 'games' for the party. The games need to be brainteasers/puzzles/traps that don't rely on combat. The only combat will be at the end when the adventurers find out that the cake is a mimic. (And child cyclops thinks its funny so mom doesn't help)
I have a logic puzzle set up (What child came from what town, who 'brought' what present, etc.)

What I need is a trap, and 2 puzzles that are birthday themed. I was thinking something like a 'pin the tail on the dragon' sort of thing, but I can't figure out mechanics that wouldn't be combat oriented, and I want to try to keep combat out of it.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Skelechicken
2017-05-08, 09:04 PM
I could see a scavenger hunt working pretty well in this theme. The cyclops has hidden random birthday items throughout their cave system, and adventurers need to find these items as well as navigate a labyrinthine cave. You can have some sort of puzzling or mapping mechanic to both find the items and then find their way out, limited only by their patience or if you really want to drag it out the number of rations they have.

Hide and seek could work in the same way, with kids forcibly hidden throughout the caves, adding a sort of urgency to the puzzle.

A puzzle could actually be devised as soon as the adventurers understand what's going on. They are only allowed to join the party and see the children if they can bring suitable gifts for the cyclops. Now they need to try and do that thing people do before birthdays where they like, sort of try to conversationally figure out what the cyclops kid would like without asking directly or obviously. "Hey, there sure are a lot of duck effigies in this cave. That's pretty neat (mental note cyclops likes ducks)"